In the 1980's, John Carpenter re-invented the slipper with Island Pro®. He began from scratch. "Barefoot in the sand is about as good as it gets," he says, "and that was part of the inspiration.
The sole was designed so that the ball and heel were on the same level. Arch supports are useless if your foot doesn’t stay put so I designed the sole with a raised outside contour to counteract the inside raised arch. This way the foot stays centered in the foot bed."
The foundation of the new design was the outsole. Molded in rubber, the arch support, heel cut and outside contour were incorporated into a single piece. As the soft inner shoe layers compressed with wear, foot support actually increased due to the firm rubber contour.
As we celebrate our 70th anniversary in 2016, we are excited to announce a new product: the Mokulua® slipper.
In John's hometown of Kailua, there are two islands called Na Mokulua off the coast of Lanikai Beach. These twin islands are seen during John's daily beach walks and inspired the design of this new slipper.
The Mokulua® slipper stays true to the original design of Island Pro® with a natural fit.
The Mokulua islands are a state protected Seabird Sanctuary. The islets around our main Hawaiian islands are important to preserve the seabirds, Hawaiian Monk seals, migrating shorebirds, and native coastal vegetation that once prevailed on every Hawaiian coast. There is a beach on Moku Nui that is open to those that wish to paddle or swim there but the rest of the island remains untouched.
The Mokulua® slipper is designed to minimize waste with island preservation in mind. This new design has less than 1% waste and reduces the chemical exposure to our craftsmen by 95%.
The Kane Haiku (K14000) features a selection of stylish fabric straps backed with Ultrasuede ®. Exceptional comfort comes from the uniquely flexible insole that features shock-absorbing micro-grooves, arch support and a zero-drop heel cup. The Kapa Tread outsole makes this an all terrain favorite, perfect for wet and dry surfaces. Hand Made in Hawaii USA.
